Work-holder for button-sewing machines



W. L. BARRON.

WORK HOLDER FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1918.

WITNESSES INVENTOR /fima;z? J M [ATTORNEY W. L. BARRON.

WORK HOLDER FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I8, 1918.

1 ,359,858, Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES 3g INVENTOR ORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. BARRON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WORK-HOLDER FOR BUTTON-SEWING MACHINES.

Application filed June 18.

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. BARRON, a citizen of the "United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVork-Holders for Button-Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to button sewing machines and has for an object to provide a work-holder therefor which will hold a button in spaced relation to the body-fabric and which is provided with means for positioning a button-neck forming element in register with the sewing eyes of a button and between the button and body-fabric, whereby a group of fastening stitches may be passed through'the assembled work to secure the button and button-neck forming element together and to the fabric.

The present work-holder is designed primarily to facilitate the production of a stitched button such as disclosed in my co pending application Serial No. 218,215,filed Februar 20, 1918, which has since become Patent #1316012 of September 16. 1919. In its preferred embodiment. the present work-holder comprises the usual lower w )rk-supporting plate and upper self-centering button-gripping jaws spring-pressed toward the work-supporting plate and constructed substantially in accordance with the disclosure of the patent to Sullivan No. 777,564.

The present improvementis distinguished from the prior art particularly in the provision of a holding device for a button-neck forming element, which holding device is interposed between the button-gripping jaws and the work-supporting plate and is adapted to hold the button-neck forming element in register with the sewing eyes ofthe button and between the button and the bodyfabric. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred type of button sewing machine embodying the 111- vention inits preferred form. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the work-holder of the machine. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the upper clamping element of the workholder. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the positioning device for the button-neck forming element. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 23, 1920.

1918. Serial No. 240,653.

section of the same and Fig. 6 is a front end elevation of the work-holder with the assembled Work held in stitching position.

The invention is preferably embodied in a machine of the well known button sewer type comprising the bed 1, standard 2, tubular bracket-arm 3 and head 4 in which is journaled a reciprocating needle-bar 5 carrying an eye-pointed needle 6. The needlebar is driven through the link connection 7 with the crank-disk 8 carried bythe mainshaft 9 journaled within and lengthwise of the tubular-arm 3 and supporting the usual tight and loose pulleys 10 and 11, respectively. The machine further comprises the usual take-up t which acts to draw up and tighten the stitches in a manner well known.

Mounted upon the bed 1 is the slide-bar 1.2 which supports the work-holder to which lateral and longitudinal jogging movements may be imparted by the usual connections 0, c with the pattern-wheel w disclosed in said Sullivan patent. The slide-bar 12 carries at its rearward end the block 13 recessed to receive the rearward end of the carrier-bar 14 which is pressed downwardly by the leaf-spring 15 bolted at its rearward end to the block 13. Secured to the forward end of the slide-bar 12 is the .worksupporting plate 16 formed with the needleaperture 17.

The upper button-clamp, per se, is of well known construction and comprises the usual button-clamping levers 1,8, 18 the forwardly disposed-free ends of which are turned inwardly and notched to form button-gripping jaws 19, 19. The levers 18. 18 are pivoted at their rearwardly disposed ends to the under side of the carrier-bar 1-1 and carry downwardly projecting pins 20, 20 which enter the rearwardly cgmverging slots 21, 21 formed in the slide-plate 22 carried by the slide-bar 23 which is confined to slide lengthwise of the bar 14 by means of two screws 2-1 and 25 which pass downwardly through the slot 26 in the bar 1-1 and are threaded into the slide-bar 23. The slidebar 23 is formed with the usual button-centering stop 27 and is urged forwardly by means of the coiled spring 28 to force the clamping jaws 19, 19, upon a button 12 seated therebetween. The usual adjustable stoplever 29 limits the approach of said jaws under the influence of the spring 28.

Mounted at the under side of the carrier 14 for the button-gripping levers 18 is the device for holding and positioning a buttonneck forming element a in register with the sewing eyes 6 of the button 6, Fig. 3, between the button and the body-fabric f, Fig. (3. This device, in its preferred form. consists of a flat spring InemberBO secured at its rearward end to the carrier 14 by the screw 31 and steady pin 32. At its enlarged forward end the flat spring 30 extends under and presses upwardly against the button-gripping jaws 19, 19. The forward end of the flat-spring member 30 is in the form of a foot 33 and is preferably thickened as by the addition of the footplate 34 soldered, brazed, or otherwise suitably secured to the under surface of the spring 30. The thickened foot 33 is cut away to form a recess 35 open at the front and closed at the sides and rear by side and wall portions 36 and 37, respectively, whereby the button-neck forming element n, such for example as a disk of felt, may be readily inserted in the recess and stopped in a position registering with the sewing eyes of the button. In the present instance, the wall-portions and 37 are portions of a continuous circular wall having an extent of more than 180 so that the felt disk n will be securely held against accidental displacement and, in fact, must be slightly compressed in removing it from the open front side of the button-neck receiving aperture defined by said wall or wall-portions. By virtue of the use of laterally separable button clamping jaws in combination with a button-neck positioning device it will be appreciated that no obstruction is offered to the placing of a button-neck forming element in stitching position in said device. In sewing on buttons of the smaller sizes it may be desirable to use smaller neckformingelements and, to accommodate the latter, one or more removable bushings 38 are provided, such bushings being adapted for insertion in the recess to suitably reduce the size thereof. These bushings preferably have a circular extent of more than 180, as shown in Fig. 3, so that but-tonneck forming elements ofthe smaller sizes will not easily becomedisplaced prior to the stitching operation.

The invention is not to be understood as limited to the specific construction shown and described as various modifications, substitutions, alterations and the like, may readily be made by those skilled in the art .without departure from or sacrifice of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. ork-holding mechanism for buttonsewing machines comprising, in combination,

a fabric-support, a button-positioning device, and means intermediate said fabricsupport and button-positioning device for positioning and holding a button-neck fornring element in register with the sewing eyes of the button and between the button and body-fabric, said means com n'ising ayielding member having a thickened foot formed with a button-neck receiving aperture.

2. VVork-holding mechanism for but-tonsewing machines comprising, in combination, a fabric-support, a button-positioning device, and means intermediate said fabric support and button-positioning device having button-neck positioning Walls adapted to embrace the button-neck forming element. to an extent of more than half of its circumference for positioning and holding said element in stitching position.

3. lVork-holding mechanism for buttonsewing machines comprising, in combination, a fabric-support, a button-clamp including coacting laterally movable buttongripping jaws, and means intermediate said fabric-support and said jaws for positioning button, and a removable and replaceable bushing for reducing the size of said aperture.

In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle, a body-fabric support, reciprocally movable button-gripping jaws,a carrier upon which said jaws are mounted, and means sustained by said carrier for positioning and holding a button-neck forming element in register with the sewing eyes of the button and between the button and bodyfabric.

6. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle, a work-support, a buttonclamp having opposed reciprocally movable button-gripping jaws for holding a button in stitching position relatively to said needle, and a spring member having a thickened and apertured foot for positioning and holding a button-neck forming element centrally of the sewingeyes of the button and between the latter and the body-fabric, whereby the WILLIAM L. BARRON, 

